Who's Asking Wins NZB Leasing & Finance

The final sponsored race of the season for leading race sponsor New Zealand Bloodstock saw Who's Asking (Howbaddouwantit x Gintaine) emerge the victor in the $40,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Leasing & Finance 3YO at Opunake Racing Club's meeting yesterday.

A twelve-horse field contested the 1600 metre event, the winning margin a nose to Shariat's on Fire (Keeper x Shariat) and a further long neck back to Nutz About You (Align x So Familiar).

Trained by Murray Baker and ridden by David Walsh, the win sees the gelding's career earnings now amount to NZ$33,187 from eight starts for two wins and two seconds.

Gintaine, by Waikato Stud's outstanding broodmare sire Centaine, has produced other handy gallopers including Listed Wanganui Stakes winner Betcha Wood (Woodbury Lad) and winner on 12 occasions, Beltaine (Lord Ballina). Fairdale Stud's Howbaddouwantit has produced stakes winners Mi Jubilee, Final Reality, Howmuchyacharging and the Singapore based Itmaybeyou from three crops to race.

With just one weekend of racing left in the New Zealand season, the race was the last of more than 30 races sponsored by New Zealand Bloodstock around the country over the 2006-2007 season. Amongst these were the Group 1 New Zealand Bloodstock One Thousand Guineas, this year won by Dorabella, and the Group 1 New Zealand Bloodstock Breeders Stakes won by Captivate.

Other sponsorships this season included the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series, the New Zealand Bloodstock Southern Filly of the Year Series and the New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance Triple Crown.

The coming season will feature the first running of the new one million dollar sale graduates race - the Karaka Million - to be staged at Ellerslie on Sunday 27 January 2008.